Unfortunate Situation for Utah Hockey Club Could be a Huge Opportunity for the Toronto Maple Leafs

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TJ Tucker
October 21, 2024 (5:17 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs could stand to benefit big time from an unfortunate situation with Sean Durzi of Utah Hockey Club, who appears to be out long-term.

It's never an ideal thing to benefit from someone's loss, especially when it comes to injuries, but that is the case for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The latest news has Utah Hockey Club's Sean Durzi out of the lineup with an injury long-term, which may open a huge opportunity for Toronto.

In a recent loss to the New Jersey Devils, Utah HC's Sean Durzi took a hit and left the game. He is out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury, and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said in his32 Thoughts that he's hearing Durzi won't be back for four to five months.

So, how do the Toronto Maple Leafs fit into all this? The Leafs are looking to get rid of defenceman Timothy Liljegren and his $3 million dollar cap hit. Liljegren has been linked to as many as five teams in a potential trade, but a desperate situation for Utah HC could be very beneficial to the Maple Leafs in terms of the return.

Timothy Liljegren has also been been linked to the Edmonton Oilers as that team looks to bolster its blueline. The Oilers would have a much tougher time fitting Liljegren in under the salary cap, though. No doubt Toronto GM Brad Treliving is weighing all his options in this situation, and the more of them there are, the better his return is likely to be. Liljregren and the Leafs appears to be in complete agreement over a change of scenery, as the 25 year old wants increased playing time that he's not likely to get with the Maple Leafs unless someone else gets injured.